This invention relates to strap shock absorbers designed primarily for parachutes, but it is to be understood that the invention apparatus can be used for any purposes for which it is found applicable.
The use of shock absorber webbing for parachutes and other uses is well established in the energy and shock absorption art. For the most part, such prior art shock absorber systems are composed of supplemental straps of special sizes and material to provide a sequential and intermittent breaking to absorb the shock force to a safe level to be handled by the basic strap. An example of the prior art shock absorber system is U.S. Pat. No. 3,302,973. This type of construction requires an inventory of special straps, and fabrication and repair of the shock absorber system is impractical at most field installations. In addition, the supplemental straps are dependently secured together to the basic strap at a common point enhancing the possibility that repetitive tearing of the straps will degrade the shock absorber system.
Other prior art shock absorbers employ stitch-rupturing textile systems which by experience provide inconsistent and nonrepeatable results. This construction is represented by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,352,036 and 3,563,498.